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Indoors, they had been insulated. Now the gusting wind tore at her hair and skirt, lashing that brave clump of jonquils to the earth. As the first icy mindrops spattered against their faces she gasped with the shock.
'We'd better get back to the airport before it's any worse.'
But his only response was to catch hold of her arm and begin hurrying her down the narrow lane that led to the harbour.
'There's no point.' He had pulled up in the lee of a building, but still had to shout to make himself heard over the wind and the screeching gulls. 'The pilot won't be coming back for us till tomorrow.'
'Tomorrow?' White-faced, she stared back at him, the sudden panic writhing in her. 'What do you mean? I've got to get back.'
He shrugged. 'Tomorrow. This should have eased by then, but just now I'd say it was a forcenine sou'wester at the very least.'
'Well, we'll get a boat, then—a plane—anything,' she said desperately.
'Sorry, no can do. Everything will be grounded.'
'But we—we can't stay. I won't' 'If you're that desperate to get away from me you'll have to try swimming.' He grinned down at her, his eyes alight. He'd always loved storms—the wilder the better—and now her obvious disquiet was no doubt merely adding to his pleasure. But she couldn't hide it. Petra was shaken to the core by that blazing revelation and the violence of the gale was blowing her mind, so that she was barely aware of Jared, his arm round her, towing her along.
'We'll find a hotel,' he shouted in her ear.
A hotel? Spend the night in a hotel? The nightmare was increasing by the second. 'But won't they be closed at this time of year?'
'Not all of them.' As he turned up her jacket collar his fingers brushed against her neck, and she stiffened, terrified that he would sense the tremor which ran through her body. But he merely seized her hand again in a firm grasp. 'OK—let's go.'
They turned up a narrow street, crossed a courtyard and ran, Petra gasping for breath, into a spacious foyer.
'Sit down there.'
Jared motioned her towards an armch
air by the fire, and, going across to the reception desk, rang the bell. When a young woman appeared they had a very brief conversation—which Petra, still wrapped in her own tumultuous thoughts, did not catch
— then he was advancing on her.
'It's all right—they'll take us. Up you get.'
Her legs seemed to have lost their strength, but he lifted her easily to her feet.
'Wait a minute.' She clutched at his wrist, then demanded, 'Where am I sleeping?'
The corner of his mouth twitched. 'You can take that suspicious look off your face. You have your own suite
— entirely to yourself.'
'I'm so pleased.' She jutted her chin haughtily, and followed him to the lift As he put the key into the lock of ONE of the bedroom doors she glanced up and down the carpeted corridor. 'It's very quiet.'
'Maybe we're the only guests.'
'But—were they open?'
'We're here, aren't we?' He pushed open the door and, flicking the light switch, gestured her past him into the room, attractively furnished in shade, of apricot and cream. 'My suite's next door. Just tap the wall if you need anything.'
Closing the door behind her, she leaned up against it, her hands splayed against the wood. For the first time since those blinding seconds of revelation she was alone, and she tried desperately to calm her swirling thoughts. In that stunning instant her whole carefully ordered life had been set on its head—and now guilt, fear, anger raged inside her as fiercely as the storm outside. How could she have let it happen? And—a low moan was wrenched from her—how could she have betrayed Simon?
But you haven't. She clung desperately to a last slender thread of cold sanity. You haven't—
and you're not going to. You are not going to surrender to this love, because if you do it will destroy you. Jared doesn't love you he only wants you—and if you give way to him you'll be consumed in the loveless passion that he feels for you.
She pushed herself upright, then, moving like a clockwork toy, she locked the door and kicked off her wet shoes. Her jacket and dress were soaking as well, so she hung them on a chair in front of the radiator.
